Head of Grain Distilling

Pernod Ricard is a worldwide leader in the spirits and champagne industry, blending traditional craftsmanship, state-of-the-art brand development, and global distribution technologies. Our prestigious portfolio of premium to luxury brands includes Absolut vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, and Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes. Our mission is to ensure the long-term growth of our brands with full respect for people and the environment, while empowering our employees around the world to be ambassadors of our purposeful, inclusive, and responsible culture of authentic conviviality.

Chivas Brothers is the Pernod Ricard business dedicated entirely to Scotch whisky. Our award-winning portfolio features some of the world’s most revered single malt and blended Scotch whisky brands, including Chivas, Ballantine’s, Royal Salute, The Glenlivet and Aberlour, which are exported from Scotland to over 100 countries worldwide. As the world’s No.2 Scotch whisky producer with a 1,600-strong team across 26 sites, we are committed to upholding the heritage and pursuing the progress of Scotch and ensuring its sustainable future, as well as opening it up to new audiences across the globe. 

About the role

We are hiring a Head of Grain Distilling to be responsible for providing leadership and direction for all grain distilling operations. The role translates business and supply requirements into safe, resilient, and efficient site performance, balancing volume, quality, service, cost, people capability, legal compliance, and sustainability commitments. You will provide visible leadership, bring clarity, support multidisciplinary teams, and ensure that operational improvement and capital investment deliver measurable, sustainable value.

What you will do

Safety & Compliance

• Promote and support a safety-first culture and ensure full compliance with health, safety, environmental, quality, food safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead process safety, risk management, incident learning, and continuous improvement programmes.

Operational Excellence

• Work with teams to deliver production outcomes safely, reliably and to high-quality standards.
• Improve plant performance through collaboration, insight and continuous improvement, with focus on reliable asset performance, maintenance, operational resilience, and business continuity planning.

Performance & Efficiency

• Support teams to improve efficiency, productivity and responsible cost management across energy, water, yield, and asset utilisation.
• Use data, automation and digital tools to inform decisions, solve problems and improve ways of working.

People Leadership

• Lead, coach and develop capable, engaged teams, including direct leadership team.
• Build an inclusive, engaged culture that promotes accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.

Sustainability

• Deliver ambitious sustainability goals, including decarbonisation, resource efficiency, and environmental performance improvements.
• Partner across the business to balance environmental impact, operational resilience, and commercial performance.

Strategy & Investment

• Shape and deliver the capital investment roadmap, ensuring projects are safely executed and deliver long-term value.
• Build trust-based relationships with key stakeholders, regulators, and industry partners while contributing to strategic business decisions. 

Your skills and background

• Bring senior leadership experience in distillation, spirits manufacturing or a comparable process manufacturing / high hazard environment, with a combination of technical expertise and commercial and financial acumen.
• Demonstrated delivery of measurable cost, efficiency, reliability, and sustainability improvements without compromising safety or quality.
• Experienced in leading, supporting and developing people, as well as change management, and talent development.
• Ability to collaborate across functions and externally, communicating effectively at diverse levels.
• Hold a relevant degree or professional qualification and a full UK driving license, with ability to travel as required

​Why join us?

Collective Spirit 

You will be part of a connected, international community shaped by iconic brands, a performance mindset, and a proud legacy, where collaboration, fun and ambition coexist. 

Craft your path

We empower you to own your career, innovate boldly and grow alongside our business, surrounded by leaders who value curiosity, energy, and impact. 

Cultivate the future 

You’ll help shape a business with a soul — one that cherishes the land, respects communities, and brings good times from a good place, responsibly and sustainably. 

People are at the heart of everything we do at Pernod Ricard and are the foundation of our collective spirit as ‘Créateurs de Convivialité’.  We promote inclusion throughout our business and supply chain. In our teams, we proactively foster a diverse work force and an inclusive culture, an environment where we can truly be ourselves.  

We will assess your application for this role based on your skills, experiences, and achievements, not your gender, age, ethnic or educational background or any other such factors.  Our recruiting team are more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process, in order for you to participate fully in our recruitment experience.  

Our mix of benefits

• Competitive salary, along with performance related bonus
• Defined Contribution Pension Private medical insurance, including income protection
• Comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• Generous annual holiday entitlement (increasing with length of service) plus public holidays
• Pernod Ricard share incentive plan and share ownership plan
• Life Assurance
• An allowance each year to spend on our brands
• Our reward & recognition scheme
• Employee discounts from a range of high street retailers
• Regular events in our very own office bar 

Learn more about working with Pernod Ricard https://www.pernod-ricard.com/en 

Learn more about Chivas Brothers https://www.chivasbrothers.com/ 

Closing Date for Applications:

2nd October 2026

Job Posting End Date:

Target Hire Date:

Target End Date: